Olubankole Wellington (born 27 March 1981), popularly known by his stage name Banky W and credited in film as Banky Wellington, is a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

singer, rapper, actor, entrepreneur and politician.

Early life

Olubankole Wellington was born in the United States on 27 March, 1981 to Nigerian parents. His family returned to Nigeria when he was five years old. He began singing at a young age in his church choir.

Education

Wellington schooled in

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...

for his primary and secondary education and returned to further his tertiary education at

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute () (RPI) is a private research university in Troy, New York, with an additional campus in Hartford, Connecticut. A third campus in Groton, Connecticut closed in 2018. RPI was established in 1824 by Stephen Van ...

, New York, US on a scholarship. He started the record label Empire Mates Entertainment (E.M.E) in 2002 while studying. He also worked at

GlobalSpec GlobalSpec is a technology services company which provides a search engine of engineering and industrial products, indexing over 180 million parts divided into 2,300,000 product families, from over 24,000 manufacturer and distributor catalogs. ...

. In 2009, he left the US for Nigeria and established his record label in Lagos by signing artists like

Niyola Eniola Akinbo (born 9 December 1985), known professionally as Niyola, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. Early life Akinbo was born on 9 December 1985, in Lagos, Nigeria. The youngest of ten children, she sang in church with her siblings an ...

Shaydee Shadrach Adeboye Folarin (born September 21, 1987), professionally referred to as Shaydee, is a Nigerian singer-songwriter and vocalist. In 2015, Shaydee was listed on notJustOk's list of "15 Artists to Watch in 2015". He is best known for his hi ...

Skales Raoul John Njeng-Njeng (born 1 April 1991), better known by his stage name Skales (an acronym for Seek Knowledge Acquire Large Entrepreneurial Skills), is a Nigerian rapper, singer, and songwriter. In 2000, he started writing rap songs in Kadun ...

, and

Wizkid Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun (born 16 July 1990), known professionally as Wizkid, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. A prominent figure in the modern-day Afrobeats music scene, Wizkid is regarded as one of the biggest and most influential Afri ...

to the label. He released a début studio album, ''Back in the Building'', in 2005. His début single was Ebute Metta He wrote the first theme song of Etisalat Nigeria titled "0809ja for life".

Career

2012–2013: ''R&BW''

The day after Valentine's Day of 2013, Wellington launched his new album "R&BW" with a concert tagged the "Grand Love Concert" at the Civic Centre, Ozumba Mbadiwe,

Victoria Island Victoria Island ( ikt, Kitlineq, italic=yes) is a large island in the Arctic Archipelago that straddles the boundary between Nunavut and the Northwest Territories of Canada. It is the List of islands by area, eighth-largest island in the world, ...

, which featured several other artistes including

Iyanya Iyanya Onoyom Mbuk (born 31 October 1986), known by his stage name Iyanya, is a Nigerian Afropop recording artist. Career He rose to fame after winning the first season of ''Project Fame West Africa'' and is best known for his hit single "Kuk ...

and

Waje Aituaje Iruobe, known professionally as Waje, which is the first letter from each word from the phrase "Words Aren't Just enough" is a Nigerian singer. She first gained recognition after being featured on the remake of P-Square’s "Omoge Mi". Wa ...

. The first two singles from the album are "Lowkey" and " Yes/No".

2017: Dissolution of E.M.E

Wellington announced in February 2018 that E.M.E was being dissolved as a record label; he said the label would move forward as a talent management company focused on creative marketing, advertising, PR and brand events. Wellington named

DJ Xclusive Rotimi Alakija (born 16 October 1980), better known as DJ Xclusive, is a Nigerian disc jockey, record producer and recording artist. Early life Rotimi Alakija was born in England to Nigerian parents. At an early age, he moved back to Nigeria ...

Ebuka Obi-Uchendu Chukwuebuka Obi-Uchendu (born 14 July 1982) is a Nigerian lawyer and media personality from Okija in Anambra State, Nigeria. He is known for hosting the reality show ''Big Brother Naija'', the long running ''Rubbin' Minds'' talk show on Channe ...

, Tolu 'Toolz' Oniru, and his wife

Adesua Etomi Tolulope Adesua Etomi-Wellington (born 22 February 1988), professionally known as Adesua Etomi is a Nigerian actress. In 2014, she starred in her first feature film ''Knocking On Heaven's Door''. She won the Best Actress in a Drama award at t ...

as the first set of clients of the rebranded company.

Other collaborations

In 2017, Wellington took part in initialing of a monumental collaboration art piece, ''

Iyasile Naa The ''Iyasile Naa'', also known as ''The legacy'', is a digital painting created by Ade Olufeko, a designer known for his multidisciplinary work on African social economics. The original artwork was created in 2013. It underwent enhancements in La ...

'' also known as The Legacy.

Political career

On 11 November 2018, Wellington announced his intent to run for the Lagos' Eti-Osa Federal Constituency seat in Nigeria's

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

, on the platform of Modern Democratic Party, formed in 2017. On 23 February 2019, Wellington lost the Eti-Osa Federal Constituency Elections to Babajide Obanikoro of the All Progressive Congress. Ahead of 2023 general election, Wellington announced that he had decamped from the Modern Democratic Party to the Peoples Democratic Party, seeking the party's ticket to again vie for the Lagos' Eti-Osa Federal Constituency seat in Nigeria's

. In June 2022, Banky W won the Peoples Democratic Party ticket to contest as the party bearer for the Eti Osa constituency ahead of the 2023 election.

Personal life

Wellington married

traditionally on 19 November 2017; the couple subsequently had their

white wedding A white wedding is a traditional formal or semi-formal wedding originating in Great Britain. The term originates from the white colour of the wedding dress, which first became popular with Victorian era elites after Queen Victoria wore a whit ...

performed in South Africa on 25 November 2017. He had a successful skin cancer surgery on his shoulder in 2017. In early 2021, Wellington and Adesua had a son. They kept the pregnancy a secret, catching many off guard on news of the baby's arrival.

Discography

Albums

;Studio albums * ''Back in the Building'' (2006) * ''Mr. Capable'' (2008) * ''The W Experience'' (2009) *' '

R&BW ''R&BW'' is the fourth studio album by Nigerian singer Banky W. It was released on 14 February 2013, by Empire Mates Entertainment. The album was supported by the hit single " Yes/No", which peaked at number 1 on the BBC Radio 1Xtra Afrobeat ch ...

'' (2013) ;EPs * ''Undeniable'' (2003) ;Playlists * 2017: ''Songs About U'' (2017)

Compilation albums

* ''

Empire Mates State of Mind ''Empire Mates State of Mind'' is a compilation album by musicians of Nigerian record label Empire Mates Entertainment (E.M.E). It was released by the label on 18 June 2012. The album's production was handled by Legendury Beatz, Sarz, Masterkraf ...

'' (2012)

Selected singles

* 2013: "Jasi" * 2014: "Jaiye Orimi" * 2015: "High Notes" * 2015: "All I Want Is You" feat.

Chidinma Chidinma Ekile (born 2 May 1991), known professionally as Chidinma, is a Nigerian hip-hop turned gospel singer and songwriter. In 2010, she rose to stardom after winning the third season of ''Project Fame West Africa''. Following the release of ...

* 2015: "Cash Only" As featured artist * 2016: "Made for You" * 2016: "Onyeuwaoma" As featured artist * 2016: "Mi Re Do (Cocoloso)" feat.

Stonebwoy Livingstone Etse Satekla (born 5 March 1988), better known by his stage name Stonebwoy, is a Ghanaian Afropop, dancehall and reggae musician. He is the CEO of Burniton Music Group. He won the Best International Act: Africa category at the 201 ...

and

* 2021: “Selense” feat

Mercy Chinwo Mercy Nnenda Chinwo is a Nigerian gospel musician, singer, actress, comedian and songwriter. She started singing at age 8 in her church children's choir, she won the ''Nigerian Idol'' Season 2 in 2012. Life and career Mercy Nnenda Chinwo wa ...

Filmography

* '' The Wedding Party'' (2016) * ''

The Wedding Party 2 ''The Wedding Party 2: Destination Dubai'' is a 2017 Nigerian romantic comedy drama film directed by Niyi Akinmolayan. It is a sequel to '' The Wedding Party'', which was released in December 2016. Principal photography for the film, which was ...

'' (2017) * '' Up North '' (2018) * '' Sugar Rush '' (2019)

Awards and nominations

* John Lennon Song Writing Award 2006, R&B Category, for 'My Regret’ * Best R&B Artiste, Nigerian Entertainment Awards 2006 * Best Male R&B Artiste, Urban Independent Music Awards, USA, 2006 * Best International Album, Nigerian Entertainment Awards 2007 for 'Mr Capable’ * Best R&B Video, Nigerian Music Video Awards 2008 for 'Don't Break My Heart’ * Best Male Vocal Performance, Hip hop World Awards 2009 for 'Don't Break My Heart’ * R&B Single of the year, 2010 Hip Hop World Awards for 'Strong Ting’ * Best R&B Singer (Male) and Best Music Video 2010 City People Entertainment Awards

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Banky, W. 1981 births Living people 21st-century African-American male singers 21st-century Nigerian male actors 21st-century Nigerian male singers American emigrants to Nigeria American people of Yoruba descent Nigerian actor-politicians Nigerian entertainment industry businesspeople Nigerian hip hop singers Nigerian male film actors Nigerian male singer-songwriters Nigerian male rappers Nigerian music industry executives Nigerian politicians Nigerian rhythm and blues singer-songwriters Yoruba male actors Yoruba politicians English-language singers from Nigeria Yoruba-language singers Musicians from Lagos People from New York (state) Politicians from Lagos Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute alumni The Headies winners